12 Strand Mega Tree Controllers & PSU

[simonsays55555]

Hi Everyone.

I'm new here. Can I just say what an AWESOME forum you guys have here. I spent half the night up reading and learning some amazing information. Great to see so much enthusiasm!

This year I'm working on my first Mega Tree. I'm new to computer controlled lights, so this is a bit of a learning curve at this stage.

I was planing to form a mega tree from 12 strands of 1801 pixels, individually controlled to enable unlimited choice of patterns when it comes to animating the tree.

My question is, can anyone recommend a controller and psu for this job? I have been reading about the ECG-PIXAD8 and ECG-PR12, the DC24 and DV48 boards from AVD, and the 27 Channel DMX board that David Moore talks about in one of his videos.

Obviously budget etc needs to be taken into account and I don't want to be spending money on something I don't actually need for the job. Thus the questions.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated guys.

 

[fasteddy]

Do you already have the 1801 pixels?

 

[Bird]

to ACL

Lots of great people here will be glad to help you save time and $$$
If you already have the pixels, please provide a link to them as this may help answer your questions.

 

[simonsays55555]

Apologies guys, that was a typo. I was looking at getting 1804 pixels. I'm yet to purchase them. I understand from David Moore's video they are 8 bits per colour allowing for good colour depth. I was looking at getting pixels in a solid strip for this project. Still open to any suggestions regarding appropriate pixels to use. Ideally (budget permitting) I would like pixels with good colour depth, specifically for accurate and smooth fading.

Thanks for your feedback guys.

 

[fasteddy]

Ok first off welcome to ACL

Now you have really given yourself very very little time to get the lights and controller in time to give you enough time to learn what you need to do. Most of us have been already planning and preparing for months for our shows, so I think you may struggle to get something going in time depending on your ability.

OK now to your question.

The 2811 or 2801 is actually a better choice than the 1804, all are 8 bit, but the 2811 and 2801 use constant current control which is a better method for controlling LEDs than the constant voltage method used in the 1804

Now are you wanting to use strings or strip, if you are planning on using 12 then it sounds like you may be thinking of the 12 strip trees that a few are building (including myself) in which case the 2811 strip for $32 can not be beaten for value. If you plan to use the pixel strings then you may not get enough fill to get a decent effect

I have used an ECG-P12R controller for my tree and is an excellent choice as it will give you plenty of spare capacity for expansion in the future.

So here is a list of bits to make the tree (not including the frame)

13 x 2811 Strip (always have a spare) or 2811 IP68 Pixel string
3 x 350 watt 12vdc power supply (again alaways have a spare) or if using the strings which are 5vdc then you will need this 5vdc power supply instead
1 x ECG-P12R Pixel Controller and the manual here that will help you
Plugs (you can request for a small addittional price to have these plugs connected to the strip as well as you can get extensions cables made)

All I can say is good luck, but you may want to consider this for a project for next year as time will be very very tight for you and its not as straight forward as it may at first appear as there can be many pittfalls if not knowing what your doing.

 

[kane]

Agree 100% with eddy on time constraints you'll face and hardware suggestions, but just thought I'd give some additional information to clarify one of your queries below:

My question is, can anyone recommend a controller and psu for this job? I have been reading about the ECG-PIXAD8 and ECG-PR12, the DC24 and DV48 boards from AVD, and the 27 Channel DMX board that David Moore talks about in one of his videos.

The ECG-PixAd8, PR12, P2 etc are pixel controllers, so will be able to drive your pixels (eg 1804, 2801, 2811, 6803, etc).

The DC24 and DC48 boards (from AVD) and the 27CH DMX (from Ray Wu) boards are simple ("dumb") DC controllers. You would connect a string of LEDs to each channel, and when you switch that channel on, the whole string goes on (as opposed to pixels, which allow you to control each individual pixel)

As per Eddy's post - a lot of people spend the full year on their displays - planning everything, then sourcing controllers and lights, and then the actual sequencing.. The sequencing itself can take months!

All the best with your plans though - there's plenty of help available here (and in chat), although do keep in mind that at this time of year everyone is pretty busy with finalising their displays (and sequences), so help may be a little slower than usual!

 

[simonsays55555]

Thanks for the fantastic feedback guys.

This is something I've wanted to do for a while. I figure I can start now and see what I come up with. Other than that, there's always next year